Sign-flashing apparatus.



-No. 892,477. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.

G. WESLEY.

SIGN FLASHING APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 7, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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No. 892,477. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.

G..WESLEY.

SIGN FLASHING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION- I'iLED MAR. 7, 1905.

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* 1 eus'rar WESLEY, OF ST. PAUIIT, MINNESOTA.

' sren-nnasnme ABIABATZUS.

Spep ification of Letters I'atent.

' a n ason man ion 7,1905. fiei-ial RPM-118,893..

To all whom'tt may concern} l lOwn that/I; Gr sTAF WEsLnn citizen'of the United States, residing at St,

I Paul, in the'co'unty of Ramsey and'State of Minnesota, have invented-certain new and ratus, "of which the foll wi is Speci cation. i a

Myinvention relates to improvements in e t s fl sh n app its bje e ng o P ide pr v d me n f a toat 'oal y on r l g andl fg g am or groups 'of lamps, and cons sts jartic arly providing'improved positiye y operated means for breaking and makingthe electric circuits. i

useful Improvements in Sign-Flashing pa- 7 To this end my invention consists in the fea tures of construction andcombination'herein after particularly described and claimed.

' In the accompanying drawings forming part of this pecification; Figure 1' is atop view ofthe invention showing the face of the dial; Fig. 2 1s a side elevat on partly in section; Fig. 3. i's-a top view of a modified ar-.

, ble areknife switches;

the switchbases and to rangement; Fig. 4 shows a modified construction of switch, and Fig. 5 is a detailgof a cor rat ng talil/ In the drawings A represents suitable frame-work or table B.

u' on which is supported a slab l adially arranged upon the .ta-

The blade of each switch has pivotal support 3 u on one end of the insulating base 1, the lea; member 50f i Q the switch being supported upon the opposite end of the base. Each of the switchblades is formed of two parallel bars, the u per bar 6 being pivotally connected with t e ower main bar 2 b a'hand 7, said bars being further connected a spring 8.. The outer end of each switch-blade carries a roller 9. By

u ,of two con: nected parallel bars as shown, t e upper bar. will first leave the leaf member causing slight separation of the bars and resulting inthe lower bar being quickly drawn from the leafmember, preventing arcing. The bases of the switches are secured'upon the table by means of the clamping-rings 10 and lljover-i lapping the outer and inner edges respectively of the bases and secured to the table by bolts 12 passing through openings in said clamping-plates and table. 7 It thus becomes comparatively easy to change" the positions of increase or decrease their numbers.

-group being also connecte ratented July 7, 1908.

F Surrounding the table is a ring 13 su ported by arms 14 secured upon the vertica shaft 15. The shaft 15 is 'journaled in the frame- .work and carries a worm-gear 16 operatively connected with the pulley 17 actuated from a suitable source of power; Carried by posts or arms 18 secured to the ring are two cams a 19 and 20, the forward cam 19 having a downwardly roj ecting end in position to engage the un erside of the rollers'9 upon the knife switches,' and thereby to force the switchblades into contact with the respective leaves to close the circuit through the switch so actuated. The rear'cam 20'stands' above the cam 19 and hasa downwardly rojectingrear end in position to engage an act u on the upper sides of the rollers 9 of the c osed switbhes to force them down and open the switches.

" Below thetable B is shown supported a similar table C carrying a ring, cams'and switches corresponding in construction and arrangement to the ring, cams and switches arranged in connection with the table B.

In the drawings but one switch is shown supported upon the table ,0. The table C and its connected parts are adapted-to oper-. ate in connection with the table A to control the lines of a duplicate sign. or of the opposite side of 'a sign controlled by the table In Fig. 1 is -shown Idiagrammatically the wiring of the switches. From this it will be seen that the leaf-members of the switches are all connected with one of the main lines 21, the'blade-members being connected each with one of the lamp grou s 22, the lamp with the other main line 23, The cams-may be adjusted to 1 any position on the ring which'ma'y beIdes1red,- and by yarying the distance between the cams or between the switches; and by and colors and method of flashing them may be made. 1 H

In Fig. 3 is illustrated am'odified arrangement of my invention, in which two separate sets of lamps D andE are employed. The lamps D are connected with the blade-membersof the switches upon one side of the varying the number of cams and switches, ai great many different combinations of light switch-board. The lamps E are similarly connected to the blade-members of the switches upon the opposite side of the switchboard. Between these two sets of switches,

upon opposite sides of the switch-board are and 'ght the lamps in said arran ed two switches one ofv which is connecte with the leaf-members which control the lamps D, its blade-member being connected with the main line 24. The op osite switch has its blade-member connecte with the main line 24 and its leaf-member con-' nected with the leaf-members of the switches which control the series of lamps E. The operating parts of this construction correspond to the operating parts of the preferred construction. In-the rotation of the ring the forward cam 19, en aging with the switch connectin the switc es of the group D with the main ine 24, will close said switch and thereafter engaging with the switches of the ou D willsuccessively close said switches group. At the same time the opening cam wil 0 switch which is arran ed between the switches of the group E and t e main line 2&1 opening saidswitch to throw out the lights of the group of the group E. The lines of the difierent groups are thus all turned off at once but are successively turned on.

' In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown a modified construction of switch andactuating cam. The actuating cam shown in Fig.5 is formed with two cam surfaces 25 and 26 which take the place of the cams 19 and 20, and which pass between rollers 27 and 28 carried by the s'witch.'

In the switches shown the roller end of the switch-blade overbalances theo posite end so that the switch when open w' remain in open position until closed by the cam.

It will be evident that various modifications in the arrangement of lamps and switches and details of the invention may be made without departing from the invention the scope of which is defined in the claims.

, said switches and the succeeding cam into- Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In combinatlon, a plurality of radially arrangedknife-switches, a plurality of cams,

and means for carrying one cam into posi-.

tion successively to engage with and open y ng,

pen the E and thereafter opening the switches position successively to engage with and close said switches.

2. In combination a plurality of knife switches, a surrounding rotary ring,, cams carried by said ring in osition to successively engage with and c ose said switches, and means for rotating said ring.

3. In combination a plurality of radially supported knife switches,'asurrounding roa cam carried by said ring in position to engage with and depress the switchblade, a cam carried by said ring in osition to engage with and raise'the switc -blade, and means for rotating said ring. P

4. In combination a plurality of radially supported knife switches, the blade of each switch consisting of a pair of springconnected parallel bars, a rotary ring surrounding said switches, a cam carried by said ring in position to engage with said blade to turn the same to open position, a cam carried by said ring in position to engage eachof said switches to carry the same to closed position, and means for rotating said ring.

5. In combination a support, a plurality of knife switches radially arranged thereon, means for adjustably holding said switches in position consisting of clamping-rings connecting the opposite ends of said switches with the support, means for actuating said switches consisting of a rotary ring, actuating cams carried by said ring, and means for rotating said ring.

6. In combination a support, a group of switches, means for adjustably supporting said switches in radial position-upon said support, means for opening and closing said switches consisting of a rotary ring surrounding said support, opening and closlng cams carriedby said ring in position-to engage with said'switches, and means for rotating said ring In test mony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAF WESLEY. 

